The Shockmaster is one of the most widely-derided figures in wrestling history, which is a huge shame for Fred Ottman. The Virginia native very effectively portrayed the menacing Typhoon for many years, forming the feared Natural Disasters stable with Earthquake in the WWF. Unfortunately, WCW utterly ruined his credibility with one of the worst images ever seen. Ottman debuted as The Shockmaster, a ridiculous babyface figure clad in a poorly-disguised stormtrooper mask. It was perhaps for the best that Shockmaster's debut was so catastrophic; Ottman was supposed to burst through a rigged wall and terrify the waiting heel team of Sid and Vader. Instead, he tripped on a poorly-positioned plank of wood and tumbled headfirst through the wall, losing his glitter-covered helmet in the process. Although one of the most ridiculed debuts in wrestling history, the incident at least prevented The Shockmaster gimmick from gaining any sort of momentum. WCW did attempt to save the angle, re-introducing Ottman as 'The Super Shockmaster', the nephew of the original character. It never took off, and Ottman was at least allowed to reprise the Typhoon character in one last WWF run.
